System of advertising.



PATENTED APR. 28, 1.903..

J. S'MATHEP.. SYSTEM of ADVERTISING. APPLIUATION FILED SEPT. 8. 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H0 MODEL.

.V mma. @S ...EE .....S

In venia/1' S @Mv/I W PATENTED ABR. 28.1993.

J. S. MATHER. SYSTEM 0F ADVERTISING.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. s, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

NO MODEL.

.n.2 m ik.

In i/f/ziar m: www James rn wnmlwm,

WAFS

.anar risica.

`JOSEPH S. MATHER, OF ST. LOUS, MISSOURI.

SYSTEM OF ADVERTISING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 726,444, dated April 28, 1903.

Application filed September 8, 1902. Serial No. 122,474. (No model.)

.To tI/Z whom, it may concern:

Beit known that LJosEPH SMAU-rama citizen of the United States, and aresident of the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a System of Advertising, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a system of advertising,and has for its principal objects to work up and maintain interest in public expositions, to secure the economical coperation of the various parties to the enterprise, and the advantageous cooperation also of others not parties to the enterprise.

To these ends my invention consists in the system and in the devices hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur, Figure l is a view of the front of my form. Fig. 2 is a view of the back of my form, and Fig. 3 is a view of a page of the index.

My system contemplates the cooperation of divers parties in a prize contest. One set of parties obligate themselves to donate certain gifts to the winners in the contest, and their names appear on the obligation which is to be distributed. This first set .of parties are preferably railroad companies who obligate themselves to donate transportation to the place of a public exposition. A second set of parties undertake the distribution of the forms comprising the estimate-slips and advertising matter, and these parties are preferably private concerns whose advertisements appearon the backs of the obligations and of the coupons as the givers of the estimate-slips and coupons distributed by them, respectively. The third party undertakes to receive and take charge of the estimate-slips when filled out and returned and to determine the winners of the contest. y

My form comprises a main section l, containing the prize oifer or formal obligation of the donors-such, for instance, as the oblia gation oftransportation lines to furnish transportation upon the conditions stated therein. To this main section is separably secured a second section or slip 2, comprising a plurality of blanks 3, each arranged with spaces to receive the name, address, and estimate of an individual concerning the attendance on the opening day of the exposition or some similar fact and preferably containing also a blank 4 for a filing-number. Separably attached to the second section 0r estimate-slip are a number of coupons 5, each containing a printed memorandum of the obligation or prize offer and a blank space for a written memorandum of the estimate and containing either on its face or its back also a printed memorandum or advertisement of the person who furnished the estimate-slip. The coupons 5 are intended to be retained by the contestants and serve only as personal reminders of the prize offer printed on the main section and of the individuals guess in the contest.

My system contemplates a central registration-office, to which the estimate blanks or slips are returned after they are properly filled up. In this office such estimate blanks or slips will be given filing-numbers an'd filed and indexed thereby. The index 6 consists of a book arranged with numbers in regular succession and spaces conveniently located adjacent to each number for entering the filing-numbers of all estimate-slips containing such index-number.

In practice the operation of the system is as follows: The total issue of forms containing the transportation obligation, the estimate slips, and the coupons are allotted to the several advertisers and distributed by them. Each distributes is thus entitled to have his ow'n estimate entered in the contest and to enter also the estimates of as many others as ,there are blanks on the form, and each contestant secures a coupon with a Written memorandum of his estimate.

When the blanks on the estimate-slip are all iilled, the estimateslip is returned to the registration office, Where it is numbered. The number thus given to the slip is entered in the index under every number which the slip contains, and then the slip is liled in numerical order.

The principal advantages of thesystem are the following: It secures the coperation of the transportation lines and private advertisers in giving publicity to the exposition.. By

the cooperation of the parties the maximum effect is accomplished with the minim um cost for the following reasons: Because the value IOO of the transportation furnished is much greater to the receiver thereof than its cost to the transportation lines furnishing it, because the original distributees of the estimateslips become in turn' distributees of the coupons without any additional cost to the original parties, because the coupons represent a contingent value which insures their distribntion and keeping until the announcement of the determination of the contest, because the participation of the exposition company, particularly in the registration of the estimales, gives an assurance of fairness which will enhance the actual value of the advertisement, and because the plurality of estimates on each slip simplifies the indexing and economizes time and space in filing and indexing.

Obviously the form hereinbefore described admits of considerable variation Without departing from my invention, and I do not Wish to restrict myself to such form. Thus the space for the filing-number of the estimatel slip is preferably on the back thereof. Like- Wise the advertisement on the coupon is preferably on the back thereof, and I consider the back to be equally available when the amount or character of the printed matter makes the use of the back desirable. So, too, so long as the index-numbers are arranged in arithmetical progression the increment or difference between successive numbers may be varied at pleasure, and such increment and the amount of space forentering tile-n umbers may dier at dierent ranges ofthe estimates.

1. In a system of advertising, the combination of a section containing a prize offer, a slip containinga plurality of blank estimateforms for distribution and return and having an appropriately-designated space for a tilingnumber, a coupon for each of said forms containing a memorandum of said prize offer and containing a space for advertising matter, andan index containing numbers in regular sequence with spaces for the entry of the tiling-numbers of the estimate-sli ps, substantially as described. i

2. In a system of advertising, the combination of a section containing an obligation of transportation lines to furnish transportation, a slip separably attached thereto and containing a plurality of blank estimateforms for distribution and return and having an appropriately-designated space for a filingnumber, a coupon for each of said forms containing a memorandum of said obligation a space for advertising matter, and an index containing numbers in regular sequence with spaces for the entry of the tiling-numbers of the estimate -slips, substantially as described.

3. In asystem of advertising, the combination of a'form composed of sections separably attached, one of said sections containing a prize offer, another section containinga plurality of blank estimate-forms to be filled and returned and the other sections being coupons for the respective estimate-blanks and containing a memorandum of the prize offer and advertising matter, and a registrationindex containing numbers in regular sequence and blank spaces for reference to the returned estimate-sections, substantially as described. 1

4. In a system of advertising, the combination of a form composed of sections separably attached, one of said sections containing a prize oier, another section containing a plurality of blank estimate-forms to be filled and returned, and the other sections being coupons for the respective estimate-blanks and containing a memorandum of the prize offer, an appropriately-designated space for a memorandum of the estimate and a space for advertising matter, and a registration-index containing numbers in regular sequence and blank spaces for reference to the returned estimate-sections, substantially as described.

5. A form for a system of advertising comprising a section containing a prize offer, a second section containing a plurality of appropriately-designated blank forms each arranged to receive a name, an address and a numeral estimate, and a third section consisting of separable coupons for the respective forms and each containing a memorandum of the prize offer and an appropriately-designated space for a memorandum of the estimate, substantially as described.

6. A form for a system of advertising comprising a section containing a prize offer, a plurality of separable sections each containing appropriately-designated spaces for an estimate, a name and an address, a coupon separably connected to each of said last-mentioned sections containing a memorandum of the prize offer and a space for advertising matter, substantially as described.

7. A form for a system of advertising comprising a section containing a prize offer, a plurality of separable sections each cont/ainin g appropriately-designated spaces for an esti mate, a name and an address, a coupon separably connected to each of said last-mentioned sections containing a memorandum of the prize offer, an appropriately-designated space fora memorandum of the estimate and a space for advertising matter, substantially as described.

8. A form for a system of advertising comprising a section containing a prize offer, and a section containing a plurality of blank estimate-forms containing appropriately-designated spaces for names, addresses and estimates, said last-mentioned section having a number of coupons separably connected to each of said forms respectively and containing a memorandum of the prize offer and a space for advertising matter, substantially as described.

9. A forni for a system of advertising comprising a section containing a prize offer, and a section containing a plurality of blank es- IOO IIC

tiniate-forrns containing appropriately-desig- 'a section containing,` an appropriately-designated space for a ling-number and having a plurality of blank estimate-forms containing appropriately-designated spaces for names, addresses and estimates, said last-mentioned section having a number ofv coupons separably connected to each of said forms respectively and containing a memorandum of the prize offer, an appropriately-designated space for a memorandum of the estimate and space for advertising matter, substantially as described.

J. S. MATHER.

Vtnesses:

JAMES A. CARR, JNO. G. THOMSON., 

